In the literacy narrative “Se Habla Espanol ” writer Tanya Maria Barrientos writes about what it was like to move to America in the early 1960’s. Barrientos explains what it was like trying to fit in and be accepted by the Anglo society. When America changes and the spanish culture is admired Barrientos has a change of heart and wants to embrace her culture rather than shy away from it. I relate to Barrientos because I grew up in a town that had mainly whites, but I soon moved to New Mexico where spanish culture as well as Native american culture is a big part of the community and people. BArrientos calls herself a latina i refer to myself as Hispanic although they are similar they aren't the same. Nevertheless BArrientos believes …show more content…
Many times i'm asked “ can you speak spanish”. I feel like that having dark hair, eyes and skin isn't enough i wanna know spanish to feel like a true hispanic. I was born Durango, Co and lived in Mancos until i was seven. Starting school my class as well as most of the school was made up of white kids, meanwhile all my cousins were placed in bilingual classes. Going to such a small school taking bilingual classes wasn't an option for me and for a mostly white community it wasn't necessary. I spent lots of time around my dad's family and they all spoke spanish over english. I use to listen and try to interpret what they were saying so i could try to learn. When i moved to bloomfield, nm my mom's parents suggested they put me in bilingual classes like my cousins were. My parents placed me the bilingual class which i struggled in, learning a new language at a new school when shy and only seven is hard. A few weeks in the class proved to be difficult and i opted to switch into an english class. Now that i'm older i wish i would have stuck with it because, four years of middle school and high school spanish still hadn't helped me learn spanish. “I felt awkward among groups whose conversations flowed in and out of of spanish” (647). I relate to this because it is awkward, when people ask you something in spanish i have to say “Yo no hablo espanol” and unlike young Barrientos I don't feel superior saying it. I do in fact agree with her that knowing spanish will help me feel like i belong to the hispanic community because sometimes just saying your a Hispanic isn't enough to make you feel like you